About Thyroid Cancer

Thyroid Cancer is rare, but numbers are rising. Currently, this stands at approx. 1800 new cases in the UK each year.

More prevalent in women than men, at a ratio of 2-1, Thyroid Cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy and is one of the fastest increasing cancers in women in the UK,US and Australia.

Between 2000 and 2007, the increase in new thyroid cancer cases is 42% in men, 45% in women, and 41% (both sexes)
A 41% increase is: 2.2 per 100,000 people in 2000 rising to 3.1 per 100,000 people in 2007

Change over 10 years: between 1997 and 2007, the increase in new thyroid cancer cases is 63% (both sexes), ie from 1.9 per 100,000 people in 1997 to 3.1 per 100,000 people in 2007 (source link)

Prognosis for patients with differentiated Thyroid Cancer is excellent, with an 80-90% cure rate.

Butterfly Thyroid Cancer Trust (formerly Butterfly North East) is the first registered charity in the UK dedicated solely to the support of people affected by Thyroid Cancer.

Founded by a Newcastle patient, Kate Farnell, following her own diagnosis with the disease in June 2000, Butterfly began as a North East based organisation supporting patients having their treatment at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care (NCCC) at Freeman Hospital Newcastle, due to huge demand for its services it has evolved to become a national organisation and is now a quadruple award winning charity.

Butterfly has a network of patient support contacts available to group members throughout the UK, voluntarily giving time to provide information, support or simply an understanding ear. Everyone involved with the charity is dedicated to offering real hands on help to the hundreds of patients attending the clinics and has either had Thyroid Cancer or been closely involved in the care and support of someone who has.

Aims

Being diagnosed with cancer can be both a frightening and isolating experience, especially when your cancer is rare. Talking to someone who has had a similar experience, and/or the same surgery and treatment can help.

Butterfly offers support, information and encouragement. A dedicated helpline enables patients to speak to someone who has had Thyroid Cancer (usually the same day!), also email and telephone contact with other group members to share experiences and a buddy to help during the stages of surgery, treatment and follow up. In Newcastle we provide hospital visits and access to Butterfly's founder in clinic at NCCC.

Although we cannot provide medical advice, we liaise and work closely with the medical professionals to promote a wider knowledge of Thyroid Cancer and facilitate improvements in the patients cancer journey.

By working with associated support organisations in the UK, British Thyroid Foundation and AMEND and also globally with the Thyroid Cancer Alliance [TCA] we can ensure we provide up to date, accurate information to our members wherever they are and at whatever stage or type of Thyroid Cancer they have.